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The Times reports that Mr Simon was asked why Mr Corbyn had not been seen in the West Midlands campaigning for him - in contrast to Conservative leader Theresa May , who has made a number of visits to the West Midlands to support Andy Street.

Mr Simon said: “We don’t need London politicians to come and patronise us or give us a bit of grace. I don’t do national politics.”

He added that he did not need Corbyn’s “stardust sprinkled on us”.

Mr Simon was more positive about Mr Corbyn last year, when he was seeking Labour's nomination to be the candidate in the West Midlands mayor contest, and published a photograph of the two of them together on his website.

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Elsewhere, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has claimed Mr Corbyn had "no grasp of the need for this country to be strong in the world" and questioned how he would respond to the "semi-deranged" regime in North Korea.

He also warned that the UK would be "totally stiffed" in Brexit negotiations if Mr Corbyn was dealing with Brussels.

(Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)

In an article for The Sun, Mr Johnson said: "The biggest risk with Jeremy Corbyn is that people just don't get what a threat he really is."

Mr Johnson's highly personal attack on the Labour leader continued: "They watch his meandering and nonsensical questions and they feel a terrible twinge of human compassion.

"Well, they say to themselves: he may be a mutton-headed old mugwump, but he is probably harmless."

And earlier this week, it was announced NHS workers who have been "undervalued, overworked and underpaid" by the Conservative Government will get a pay rise if Labour wins the election.

The shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth says NHS staff have been "taken for granted" by the Tories with cuts to pay and training forcing workers out of the health service and putting off young people.